There's still time to enjoy some of the most amazing feats of athletic achievement: The London Paralympics 2012! As a winner of 3 Paralympic medals, I know firsthand the dedication to training and perseverance required to compete at this level of sport.

Rapid Googling: radiated in the womb (Did someone make this up?), adopted from a Ukrainian orphanage by a single mother in Buffalo at age seven (Did I?), rowing partner with a Marine who lost his legs to an IED in Afghanistan (Did Jerry Bruckheimer?).

The achievements of women during London 2012 help to make the case for unleashing the potential of women and girls around the world -- a testament to the need for greater participation by females in all fields, from business to politics to health.

Mitt Romney has very big problems as he contemplates rolling into Florida's hurricane country for an even windier than usual GOP confab. Frankly, he's fortunate that he's not already set to lose by a landslide.

If that sort of sporting challenge against geopolitical foes is what it takes to get you back in to the Olympic spirit, then you need to pay attention to Olympic wrestling. The U.S. is one of the best teams, and our top rivals are an expanded axis of evil.

What the trio in the Afghan team achieved may not alter the outcome of the conflict as U.S.-led NATO troops prepare to leave the country in 2014. But it allowed young Afghans who grew up in the last 20 years to see their country briefly united for the first time in their lives.